Next Generation
by prospectpassword
Summary: Albus Severus Potter is starting Hogwarts as a first year. He makes new friends- but also new enemies. Will he finally find a place to fit in and be himself, or will he have to remain "Harry Potter's son" for the rest of his life?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

Albus Severus Potter was nervous- and it showed. His palms were sweating, and even after talking to his father, he was scared of boarding the red Hogwarts train.

"Come on, Al, in here." James said, opening the door to a carriage. Al curiously peered inside. He saw James's best friend, Danny Boudett, and a girl he guessed was his sister. "Who is _this_?" James asked, looking at the girl.

She looked about Al's age, with dark brown wavy hair, and lovely icy blue eyes. There was a twinkle in her eyes that showed she was not afraid.

"Oh, that's just my-" Danny said, before she interrupted him.

"I can speak for myself, thanks." She said, looking at him with her piercing blue eyes. "My name is Brooke. He's my older brother." She added with a frown.

"Yeah, whatever." Danny said, like he was used to being put in place. Al, however, decided that he needed more of Brooke's attitude; her confidence. "Anyway, this is my bro, James." He said. James had a stupid smile on his face, and was looking at Brooke.

She smirked, but didn't say anything. "And you are...?" she asked Al.

"Oh, I'm Al Severus Potter." He said quickly.

Brooke raised her eyebrows, and said, "Hi." She then turned her head and looked outside as they passed by the mountainside. Al slid in opposite of her and her brother.

"Um... Al, can we sit here?" Rose, his cousin, asked, her voice muffled by the glass.

"Oh!" Al cried in surprise. He looked outside to see her and another boy, who he recognized as Scorpius Malfoy. He raised an eyebrow; however, he didn't want to be rude, so opened the door. "Sure."

"Hello." Rose said, and then added, "I'm Rose Weasley, and this is Scorpius Malfoy." She pointed to the boy with the silvery blonde hair. He had turned red.

"I am Brooke Boudett, and this is Al Potter." Brooke said, and Rose and her immediately knew they were going to be best friends.

"Oh, I know Al." Rose said, with her classic knowing smile, and slid down next to Brooke. "You see, he's my cousin."

"Oh, really?" Brooke asked, turning a little pink herself. "Sorry..." she added, and laughed nervously.

"That's okay. We don't really look like each other." Rose said. It was true; Rose had reddish-brown frizzy/curly hair, and warm brown eyes, in contrast to Al's straight, smooth black hair and emerald eyes.

"Yeah." James whistled, seeming to have recovered.

"Sweets, anyone?" a plump woman pushing a trolley full of them asked. Brooke grinned and shook her head, and Scorpius did the same. They talked amongst themselves as Al stood up, and picked three Chocolate Frogs.

"For my collection." He said to Rose, who gave him a disapproving look.

"Still-" Rose said, but Al shook his head. He opened it, and the frog started hopping up the window.

"Wait for it..." James and Danny chorused together. "Now!" They cried, and they all heard a high-pitched shriek from the carriage next to them.

"Really, why do you do that to them?" Rose asked.

"Do what?" James counter-argued. "It was Al who was careless with his frog."

"Me?!" Al cried. Then he turned his attention to the frog. "Oh, look James, it's dad!" He said, pointing out the picture of their father, smiling. "I have ten of them already."

"Can I have it?" Scorpius, who had been quiet for some time now, asked. "My father burns out every card of him I get. He doesn't understand when I tell him it's for my collection."

"Mate, I feel bad for you." James said. "Al, give it to the poor chap."

"I was _going _to." Al said, annoyed. He handed his card over to Scorpius. Then, as he watched the other boy read it and even give a smile. Al frowned at this. He had expected Scorpius to be more... well, more like his father. But he was not. Scorpius Malfoy wasn't like a Malfoy at all- and the very fact that he smiled at Harry Potter showed.

Meanwhile, Danny and James were eating their Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. "Ooh, look at this one! Light blue!" Danny cried, and held up a jellybean.

"It kind of looks like your eyes." James said, with his stupid smile again. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Hey Brooke, it was meant for you. Take it." Danny said, and plugged her nose and forced it into his sister's mouth. She frowned, and slapped him.

"Ice." Brooke said after she swallowed. "It tasted like ice... it was really strange."

Rose grinned. "I once had one that tasted like salt! Oh, god, it was nasty." She said. The girls shared their unlucky flavour choices.

"We better start changing into our robes..." Al observed. One by one, they got their robes on. Brooke twirled in her robes.

"I love them!" she cried.

"I know, right?" Rose said, spinning with her. Al would have enjoyed the robes if he didn't feel queasy about getting into Slytherin. _You have a choice,_ he told himself, _you always have a choice._ His heart skipped a beat, though, when he got a glimpse of the castle.

"I'm speechless..." Rose whispered, and Al couldn't agree more. He felt the wind play with his hair, picking it up and flying it about. He closed his eyes for a moment, and felt magical. This was it. This was the place where his father and mother and uncles and aunts had made their own magical memories.

"C'mon, Al, enjoy your last moments before you become one of _them_." James said. Al made a face at him, and it seemed like the wind was on his side. It picked up James's glasses, and knocked them off right below where they used to be. James frowned and picked them up.

Al looked at his brother. He had reddish-brown hair, and cinnamon-colored eyes with a mischievous twinkle to them.

A man called Hagrid stepped in front of them. Al ran to where the first-years were, and almost against his will, found himself standing next to Scorpius. Somehow, Al considered him his friend, though why, he was still figuring out.

"Welcome..." he said, "to Hogwarts."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

"Four to a boat please." Hagrid said, and Al got in a boat with Scorpius, Brooke, and Rose.

"Oh my gosh!" Scorpius muttered, quite breathlessly. He gripped the side of the boat with his pale hands.

"Which house d' you want to get into?" Rose asked the other three as the other boats began to load up.

"Well..." Brooke said, with her head tilted. "I don't know. They all sound pretty interesting..."

"Even Slytherin?" Al asked her. Brooke grinned at him.

"_Especially _Slytherin." She said. Then, she tossed her head to get her chocolate brown waves from her eyes. Al decided that she was a very odd girl.

"I hope you're right. Father would disown me if I didn't get into Slytherin house." Scorpius said.

Brooke's grin got deeper. "That's it; haven't you wanted to prove the world wrong about something?" She asked. "I've always wanted to prove there could be a good Slytherin."

Al found himself blushing. "There _was _a good Slytherin," he said, remembering his namesake, Severus Snape.

Just then, the boats docked, and Headmistress McGonagall opened the huge oak doors. "Thank you, Hagrid, that will be all." She said. Spontaneously, Al grabbed Scorpius' shoulder.  
"She's scary..." he whispered.

"Only for appearances." Rose said, overhearing them. Then, Al and Scorpius shakily got off their boat, and followed Rose and Brooke up the staircase.

Al walked, almost zoned out, up the staircases and into the Great Hall. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the tables: especially Slytherin. Al saw James and Danny smile and wave, and he waved back. Even Brooke grinned and waved at her brother and James.

"Scared?" She whispered to Al, Rose, and Scorpius. Rose shrugged, but Scorpius nodded, paler than usual. Al didn't bother to reply; he knew that his facial expression conveyed enough to as if he was scared or not.

Al found himself staring at the Slytherin table, trying to recall what his father had said. _You have a choice-_ was that it? Yes, that was what he had said.

It seemed like such a long time ago, earlier this morning. Looking around the castle, Al felt all the air in his lungs escape. Some of the Slytherins caught Al staring, and smirked. Al went red.

Al closed his eyes as the Sorting Hat song ended. He felt his own heart beating inside his chest. Al nervously looked down at his hands, only to see he had gone white.

"Abbot, Jessica," The Hat called. Al tried to keep his lunch in as Jessica got sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Boudett, Brooke," the hat called. Brooke walked steadily toward the hat, but Al could see through her right away. As calm as she tried to appear, Brooke was frightened. Al sympathized with her. _Wonderful! You! _The hat said. Brooke turned red. _Well, let's have a look. Brave, yes, daring. But also sly in the most endearing way; yes, manipulative to your advantage... nevertheless... GRYFFINDOR! _The Gryffindor table exploded like a volcano as they welcomed the first Gryffindor of the night. Brooke turned pink, but was smiling happily. Al watched, somewhat jealously, as she took a seat next to James and her brother.

The hat sorted some more students; Emma Creedy was a Ravenclaw, Thomas Dannon became the first Slytherin.

Cheers erupted from the Slytherin table, and Al wondered, _Would that be their reaction if I were to get into their house?_ He decided that was too much of a thought for this stage into sorting.

Finally, the hat cried, "Malfoy, Scorpius." Al watched helplessly as Scorpius walked toward the Sorting Hat. He could hear the hat speak: _Another Malfoy! I thought I was done sorting your sort... hmm, let's see. Ambitious, yes, but to what extent? Chivalrous, yes, definitely. Well... Malfoy, GRYFFINDOR! _

The whole Great Hall stood, quiet, not even breathing. A Malfoy in Gryffindor? Something had to be wrong! It was well known everywhere that the only place the Malfoys belonged was Slytherin... but now a Malfoy was placed in Gryffindor!

Al saw Brooke whisper something to James, and then suddenly the Gryffindor table began cheering the loudest of the night. Al realized that they looked at it as if they had won something; a war, against the Slytherin table. Scorpius sprinted to the Gryffindor table, and sat next to Brooke, who put her hand on his shoulder and consoled him.

Al felt his stomach flip. _What if I'm like that...? _he wondered, going pale again. His heart reached out to Scorpius. Poor boy! Al wondered how he would feel if his parents weren't as supporting as they were...

"Potter, Albus!" The hat cried, making Al jump. He turned, and caught Rose's eye: _Don't worry. _Al gave her a small smile. He walked, shaking, to the hat. Murmurs vibrated through the hall as he sat down on the stool. Before he felt the hat on his head, Al looked at Scorpius, who was looking at him in that moment, and the message was clear: _it's not that bad. _

Al closed his eyes, and felt the hat, cold but warm at the same time, and he forgot what "breathing" felt like. _Well, well, well, look who it is! Another Potter! I had great fun sorting your brother out last year, you know. You are quite the same... and quite different. _Al's stomach lurched.

_ Sly and clever... no, but brave to any extent... you know, Sl- _

_No!_ Al thought as hard as he could. _Not Slytherin, please not Slytherin..._

_Quite a trick, isn't it? Did your father...? Hmm. I wonder. Alright, have it your way. Not Slytherin? Okay... GRYFFINDOR! _Al opened his eyes, and heard the Gryffindor table cheer loudly... for him! Him, Albus Severus Potter! Al stumbled off the stool and almost sobbed with relief.

He walked happily, his motions similar to those of a drunk man. "I knew all along you wouldn't end up in Slytherin, Al!" James laughed, patting him on the back so hard Al almost fell to the ground. He took a seat next to Scorpius and across from Danny, and everyone had a smile on their faces- even Scorpius, who managed a quiet smile.

Al felt bad for Scorpius. "Look, Scorpius, I don't know your father, but if he's disappointed in you, so be it. You're who you are, and you shouldn't change that... not for your dad, not for anybody." Al whispered, not knowing where the power in his words had come from.

Scorpius nodded, but remained pale.

"And now..." McGonagall said with grandeur, "Let the feast begin!"

"This is my favorite part." James told the first years laughing.

"It _would _be your favorite part." Brooke replied, laughing along. Rose laughed too, and pretty soon all three of them were laughing really hard for no reason.

"Wow... this food is great!" Scorpius grinned, and took a sausage. He cut into it, and took a bite.

"You _do _know it's made by the labor of hundreds of house elves, don't you?" Danny asked him, with a wink toward Al.

"Danny, don't!" Rose cried, looking down at her plate with a less tasteful glare.

Al found himself remembering how Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione had told him about S.P.E.W. James seemed to be remembering that, too, and gave Al a wink.

"Dessert!" Scorpius cried, clapping his hands together. The dinners went away and platefuls of dessert appeared.

Suddenly Al noticed that Slytherin boy, Thomas, glaring at the back of Scorpius's head. "Look, Scorp, I don't want to scare you, but that Slytherin, Thomas, is glaring daggers at you." Al whispered. Scorpius went red.

Had they made an enemy already?


End file.
